User Reviews

Ratman brought this one over to my house for my birthday last friday, and after splitting a bomber of batch 1 (along with a few others) with him a couple months back, and regretting it until about 5 pm the following night, I was glad we had a few more tasters for this one. Nonetheless, this was a very formidable beer. Pours a dark, hazy amber color with a smallish white head. Huge alcohol in this one, both on the nose and on the palate, along with dark brown sugar, dark fruits, caramel and alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. This one is still pretty hot, even 6 years later. This one hasn't calmed down like batch 1 has. Still, it is very enjoyable.

This was an appropriate beer to review as this is my 666th beer review. The first time I had this beer in 2004 it was a sink pour. Just too dammed much to handle. I was curious what 5 years of cellaring would do to this beast. The beer started out chilled and was allowed to warm to room temperature. The beer was served in a wide mouthed wine goblet.

Appearance: The body of the beer poured a hazy reddish brown coloration. The head was short lived but expected to live a short time due to 18%.

Smell: The smell of the beer was the best part of this experience: The beers aroma was of booze fueled apple cider, mixed berries, honey, butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, grapes, raisins soaked in rum, a bit nutty, slieghtly toasted character and very spicey alcohol. I was pretty psyched up by the aroma.

Taste: Someone put fucking Popov Vodka in my beer! What the fuck? I really wish this tasted more like the aroma. Its not even close. I am tasting a bit of sweet vanilla and butterscotch at the begining. This fades immediately into an astringent alcohol burn. Gak!... Looking for some cheap booze to get the taste out of my mouth. I allowed the beer to warm all the way to room temperature and even then the experience wasnt good.

Mouthfeel / Drinkability: Astringent, boozey in a bad way. Alcohol is still hot as hell after 5 years of cellaring!... Very little in terms of flavor. This beer upset my stomach. I would have prefered drinking Nyquil Schnapps. Sadly I have another bottle left. I will give it another 5 years + in my basement.

I've had this beast sitting in my beer fridge aging for at least a year or two - let's call it two because it could be longer. I don't remember where I got it - either Indiana or under the table here in Ohio - it is too strong for regular Ohio sales.

It's kind of dark and cloudy, like the skies around here in the winter (lake effect). I am drinking it not very cold. The flavor is very strong, sweet, hoppy. Nasty.

It reminds me of Dogfish Head 120, which is a similar huge beer, but it is SO much better that this.

So now I see that this is no longer available. Good riddance. I wouldn't want to buy it again. I suppose I will get a serious buzz from this.

Appearance- Deep chestnut in color. 1/4 inch head on pour. Light bubbly rim of a head reamins for a few minutes. Leaves very light lace markings...expected from such a high octane beer.

Smell- Lots of woody age notes...not sure if it's oak or not. Alcohol obviously and a handful of dark fruits, roasted caramel malt and some hoppy notes as well. Very nice nose, especially as it warms to room temp.

Taste- At first sip, it really didn't seem like 18%...maybe 13 or 14 or so, but then the alcohol burn set it. As it warmed to room temp, the alcohol burn wore off, but you could now tell the 18% was no lie. Many dark fruits including plums and definite raisins. Caramel malt flavors and a still rather strong hoppy aspect. Bourbon like flavor with some oak and touches of vanilla.

Mouthfeel- Lower carbonation level, extremely warming and full mouthfeel that felt like cough syrup on the first sip. Mild hoppy and alcohol aftertaste.

Drinkability- I'm sure gald they make these in 12oz botles now. I have to admit though, the 18% would have been nice if they would have kept it. Shared this bottle with my friend and it took a good half of football to drink my 11 oz or so. Has many hard alcohol aspects, but you can definitely tell this is beer rather than liquor unlike Utopia's. An extreme sipper that is a perfect candidate for a winter night by the fire.
Really enjoyed it and will try the new 12oz format if I find it.

Poured into a tulip a nice brown/amber color, nice carbonation, very nice two-finger fizzy off-white head, which leaves some minimal sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, slightly spicy, some figs/plums/raisins, and caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, the dark fruits pop-in, and some caramel. Medium body, the alcohol is fairly present on this one, but drinkable. Drinkable, another tasty brew from Avery. Thanks Tom.

'Bottled in 2004'. I've had this sitting around for a while, decided to enjoy it tonight. It pours a rich mahogany color, mostly clear, with a moderate initial head that fades fairly quickly. It has a very rich fruity aroma, reminiscent of ripe sweet cherries, with a herbal hoppy nose underneath. Flavor is quite sweet, despite a huge bitterness... it depends upon where you roll the beer upon your tongue. No balance at all, plus the medicinal alcohols are quite apparent throughout. Body is thick, almost syrupy.

Bleagh, by no means a pleasant beer (it borders on disgusting), nor a very interesting (though it does smell nice!).

Batch # 2, at 18.1% abv.
Appears a cloudy, dense amber with a small off white head that slowly fades out into a collar. Small spots of lace are left around the glass but washed away by the oily looking concoction upon the sips.
Smell is of rich caramel, yeasty bread, cherries, tropical fruit, raisins, and dough.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a warm, fruity, and doughy taste that is full of rich, sugary malt and plenty of fruity Belgian yeast that's been made happy by the sugar and temperature.
Moutfheel is full and warming, much to the effect of a barleywine but what do you expect at over 18% abv? She's definitely a sipper, much like the other monsters of ale brews that Avery made. I'm glad I split the 22 ouncer with egajdzis and my bro-in-law. Potent and yummy but look out.

Poured into an oversized wine glass a very clear reddish orange with a very small off-white head. The head thinned out but stayed leaving a slight lacing in the glass.
Smellls much like the first one I tried. Raisin and date aromas, but with a bit more of a spicy tone... not quite hoppy spice, but more like corriander. Although this Beast had a higher ABV (18.10%), the smell wasn't as noticable.
Strong raisins and dates. Not so much honey flavor as the 2005, but much more of a caramel backbone. The flavors are strong, but fairly well balanced. There is a coriander spice as well as hop spice and bitterness that strengthens as the beer warms. Again, a truly a complex onslaught of flavors.
Syrupy mouthfeel but a better carbonation level than the 2005. Much more crisp. Goes down quite easy, but heed warning... There's alot of alcohol in this bad boy. Sip it. Split a bomber with a friend. If you can find one, I recommend giving it a try.

First swigs: Two years in the hole and this still tastes like rocket fuel and isopropyl with cherry juice.

Feel is mocked by a ton of sugary residual linger.

Last swigs: Cherry and vodka. Here is a compliment: This is a sipper. Like a Fear Factor cocktail. With the high octane 18% ABV, this awl-kee-hawl boozer goes back like vodka with cherry soda. I heard the rumors and I guess they are true. Somebody give me something to chase this with...like tequila. I took one for the team here.

This is a 22oz bottle which, I think, I scored at the 2005 BA Extreme Beer Fest. 18.1% abv? Whoa!! Careful now....

Into the goblet it goes.... clear, garnet/ruby colored... beauteous!! Actually produced a bit of head to start, yet basically thins to a rim-job of bubbles around the edge of the gob. Has a few spots of carbonation rising slowly and steadily within. Not much lace to speak of, though. Took a whiff of this, and... ouch! Hot!! Is this bier, or a shot of liqueur? Does seem to be some dark fruit under there, somewhere.... Body? Oh yeah, body. Medium, as far as I can tell. And fairly smooth, for something this hot. Yeah, hot...

Did I say hot? Didn't take long for the warmth to hit the belly after passing over the palate. Could trace a path down the esophagus as it went south. Has a fruitiness present, though in a somewhat sour-ish manner. Raisins and grapes, perhaps? Really hard to detect what, if anything, the hopping adds to this Beast. Some sweetness, like burnt brown sugar, did show up, though the fruit aspect was much more evident. Except the alcohol. Did I say hot? Quite warm, to say the least... In general, I like the flavor... pleasurable yet understated fruitiness, though the abv dominates, imo. Ya know, the more I drink of this, the less I feel the heat, and more I get the flavor. That 18% abv is not really so bad... detracts more from the aroma than anything.

The beer poured into the glass crystal clear amber with an off-white and persistent head which lasted well to lace the glass.

The aroma was strong with a malty and caramel impression coupled with fruity aromatics of raisins and plums. The fruit was circumvented by a highly spicy alcohol phenolic. The spice not attributed to alcohol was a nice but very low blend of coriander and cinnamon from Belgian yeast.

The flavor was strongly spicy with a graham cracker breadiness and a very strong fruit character of raisins and plums with prunes. The flavor was hot with alcohol and phenolics of spice that last and last in the flavor and really found no stopping point. The malt flavor was caramel coupled with a strong biscuit flavor. The beer was not overly sweet and bittering was present at a high level keeping the malt flavors in check enough so the flavor was not cloying. Nothing in the flavor was subtle and the flavors are never restrained.

The finish was eventually dry, but intially just off dry with a long lingering biscuit and spice well into the aftertaste and beyond. The body was full and viscous and the carbonation level moderate. The alcohol level in this one makes it difficult to consume. Very much a sipping beer with so high an ABV level and so much warming after consumption.

This one truly was a beast. Tread lightly, bring a friend for support so you don't get bit.

22 ounce bottle. $10 at Wine Warehouse about a year ago. Had this one at a Pop The Cap event and had to purchase a bottle for myself.

I guess from time to time, a brewer has to go here just because they can. I appreciate the attempt and creativity, just not the finish product. I can imagine antifreeze tasting much like this. The beer pours nicely copper to deep golden, holds a loose knit head that lingered well. Had low level lacing, but showed good legging. Aromas are of obvious alcohols, but also of deep ripened fruits: peaches, cherries, plumbs, and a little nuttiness. Flavors show more. Begins nicely sweet (brandy-like) with good hop flavors. The body is sticky sweet, but the finish is where it hurts. The fusal alcohols are so rough and dominant, that all other flavors and character becomes void and easily forgotten. I beleive that I'll set a bottle or two back for my grandchildren to sample. It may smoothen out to drinkable in about a hundred years.

Appearing as a dusty crimson hellhammer, this Beast of 2004 looks ill intentioned. In a good way. A fair amount of sticky looking foam billowed up and then vaporized in the turbulent alcoholic atmophere. Slim curtains of lace avalanche back into the oblivion below each time I relinquish my hold of the vessel after sipping. There is not a great deal of carbonation activity taking place.

The nose holds a degree of spice and pepper once the initial alcohol diffuses off enough. Alcohol and dark fruits and sticky caramel make up a few of the more distinct aspects of the diverse aroma of the thing. A bit of a wine scent. Strongly malted.

The taste is much more agreeable than I had expected. It is quite surely a raging alcohol fueled inferno. It does have some complexity to it though. I cannot rightly say if I smell or taste a hop presence in this brew, but the alcohol adds a great dryness to the scene. It has a slick sweetness of malt body and the sourness that I normally pick up when Belgian yeasties are utilized. It comes off sort of wild tasting. There are nice vine fruit qualities to this beverage as well as some sour apple. All the while a faintly spicy ambiance. Really pleasant for something so brutally powerful in the abv realm. After half a glass the warmth is setting in while more flavors emerge into the picture. Whiskey cherries and caramel. Black cherry and port. Nice.

The mouthfeel holds the heaviness of the buzz. It is fairly thick and slick, going down smoothely and unoffensively.

The drinkability is good with all things considered. This is heavy stuff. Lots of flavors. It is not at all laborious to consume this stuff. Therefore, there is a degree of danger with this one. Solid.

pours a deep red brown with very little tan head that doesn't stick around for very long.
very complex nose that is a little overwhelming at first. very fruity with black cherry, berries, citrus, raisin, and plum. there is also a notable alcohol aroma with some of the malty grainy aromas underneath. Honey and caramel stand out. all the smells are tinged with a slight vanilla bourbon aroma that sort of works to draw everything together. a graininess shows itself as the beer warms
very wine like character to the taste. much of the fruity flavors described in the aroma show up here as well. mainly peppery raisin, cherry, fig. there is a smokey character in hear as well that seems connected to the bourbon qualities, but was not apparent in the smell. vanilla and honey seem to come and go throughout the course of the beer. there is also a sweet candied fruit flavor that shows up especially as it warms. the is also an ambiguous hop bitterness at the back of the mouth that could best be described as herbal, but i'm not sure that's what it is. once in a while there is a fairly strong sinus clearing blast of alcohol, but strangley for the most part it remains subdued for such a high abv.
full bodied with delicate carbonation that is pleasing to the palate. drinkability is very good for how huge of a beer this is, and get s a 4.0 overall.
a sipping beer for sure, this is one huge ass beer, that while i would not classify this as a favorite, i have to give it pretty good marks because i was fairly blown away by what it had to offer in terms of complexity i would like to see this in maybe a 4 pack of 12 oz bottles. it would be interesting to drink these in 2 year intervals for the next 8 years or so to see what happens, but i don't know where i can get anymore at this point, and it is a bit too pricey.

From a bottle that reads "Bottled in 2004" and lists the alcohol as 18.1% from an original gravity of 1.138 (34.5 degrees plato). Wow! It's superbly malty and fruity, but with a harsh, brash, raspy slap of alcohol.... the beast lives up to its name! Enticing... seductive.... mind-numbing... killer !!!
It pours a crystal-clear reddish-copper body beneath a creamy, yellow-tinged head that dwindles down to just a thin collar with nary a scant touch of lacing left on the glass. It just cannot hold, but that's to be expected in any beer that boasts 18.1% alcohol by volume!
The nose delivers bright, juicy, vinous and tropical fruits (apples, berries, prunes, red grapes, raisins, wine, melon, pineapple, and even a bit of cocoanut) over a honeyish, bready, and dough-like maltiness. (I'm guessing the yeast strain is White Labs Belgian Ale - WLP550, or the Wyeast equivalent. I think it may be derived from Chimay because I'm linking that fruit and spice characteristic to the Chimay Grande Reserve... just pumped up a notch! But I could be wrong, However, there has to be a Champagne yeast at work here to boost it to it's incredible alcohol level - unless it's a distiller's yeast).
The flavor is even fuller than the nose indicates, with a much wider fruitiness, more bready maltiness, and a whallop of palate-and brain-wrecking alcohol! It's like Samichlaus infused with fruit juice, wine, a handful of raisins, and a splash of vodka! It starts and finishes almost the same; but there's so much there in between! It finishes drying, mostly because of its alcohol, but there's a bold bitterness at work there as well.
Forgiving the heat of this bad boy, this is a remarkable Belgian strong ale, although I tend to think of it more as a barleywine fermented with Belgian yeast. Of course, it wouldn't be a barleywine then, would it?
It suffers in the "overall" drinkability category due to its intense alcoholic push, but if you have just a small 8 ounce glass you migh pine for another - which leads me to a 4.5 for drinkability.
This is one of Avery's best, and it's unusual at that, as they seem to try to hit the mark for the style on their other beers (and grand cru is not a style, it simply means "great vintage"), but this one is way out there. And, the alcohol is kind of a defect as well, yet all of their other beers are very well done. Let's just call this one a 'crazy-assed enigma'. But I do have one final note... why was this not put into the 12 oz bottles? 22 oz is enough for 4 to share!

The beer pours a dark amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a rich malty scent that is quite warm and toastey. It boasts of pale and crystal malts along with some roasted malts for that nice toasted aroma. The taste is decent. It has an intense malt flavor that goes down slow and easy with a very warm finish. It has a fairly simple malt bill, but it has good flavor. The mouthfeel is good. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a decent strong ale, although I'm not seeing the Belgian style characteristics. It is a brew for those cold winter days when you need a good warming up. It drinks well, but it's a beer you want to put away slow.

Pours a brownish red with a small one finger tannish head that does not lace but who expected lace at 18%

Aroma is big on malt with lots of caramel, toffee lots of dark rum soaked fruit plums and raisins mixed with a definate alcohol presence but actually smells pretty inviting.

Taste is big on malt lots of caramel toffee mixed with rum soaked fruits big on flavor also lots of alcohol that warms the body but in my opinion not to obtrusive. Hell it is 18% abv and the malt flavors more then outway the alcohol felt or tasted. Finish is caramel malt with a lingering aclohol presence light hops in there but can't over come the malt or alcohol.

Mouthfeel is almost full a big ale that seems lighter, due to the alcohol probably.

Drinkability is tricky it is good considering the 18% and would hate myself if I had more then one probably. Also would and in fact will buy again if I find some bottles hiding somewhere. That being the case would say drinkability is good, know I am going against the grain but actually enjoyed this Beast and wouldn't mind seeing him again in my dreams.

Very nice color-pale mahogany. Nice chestnut hues. Aroma of oak and sherry. Somewhat piney and vinuous. Flavor is a big malt blast upfront but is quickly replaced by the alcohol. Very resiny but the alcohol really dominates the whole experience. Good mouthfeel minus the burn in the backround. Just way too overwhelming in the long run. Call me a lite weight-hey I like a good Bigfoot after cutting the grass!!! This is just too much even the 2nd time around. I think they are on the right track but a better balance is needed. Stiil-try it and see for yourself. Its quite the ride.

2004 edition, 18.1% abv. 22oz. bomber poured into a snifter. It pours a medium red color with one finger of head. There is no lacing to be seen. The smell has a good maltiness to it, but just before the alcohol sets your nose hairs ablaze. I've smelled moonshine with less ethanol aroma (no, I am not kidding). The taste actually brings a little bit of a good balance of malt and hops, but one the alcohol hits you, it's all over. It basically ruins the beer. The mouthfeel is even a little light and slick. The drinkability is downright horrible. I think the only beer that could compete with this one in drinkability is Crazy Ed's Cave Creek Chili Beer. The Beast would make a great solvent to replace methanol down at the crime lab.

Poured a reddish amber color, with a slight white head that quickly faded away. The smell was spectacular! Plums, cherries, lots of alcohol and some distant malts. The taste was of dark fruits and lots of sweetness at the beginning with a powerful alcohol warming on the back. The mouthfeel was full bodied, thick, with some mild carbonation. I'm not sure if anyone could drink more than one of these monsters in one night. But, overall I would have to say that this was a pretty good brew, I enjoyed it.

Aroma: Cherry is solid as a fruit flavor in the aroma. This beer has a barleywine'ish type aroma. The malt, nuttyness and caramel are large here. Alcohol comes through quite harsh here in the nose. Plums and raisins are among the other fruit flavors noted.

Taste: Fruity. The alcohol forces its way through here, but it's not overpoweringly harsh. Plum and raisins are evident. There is a slight tingle on the palate from the alcohol burn.

Notes: This beer is almost too high in alcohol for me to enjoy many of the more subtle flavors. I think some of the sharpness in the flavor comes from the alcohol burn, not any bitterness that might be coming from the malt or hops.

2004 edition at 18.1%ABV. This beer poured an amber color with no head. The nose was alcohol with a bit of sweet cherry, along with more alcohol. The taste is a big kick of alcohol upfront, masking any real flavors that are going on. I can taste something sweet, but can't get through the alcohol to find out what it is. The feel was thick, but the alcohol is burningly apparent. I just can't get past the alcohol. This beer is not a very good one right now. Maybe in a few years, but not now.

The beer disembogues the 22-ounce brown bottle a luminous ruby brown with a dinosauric frothy light tan head that settles rather quickly and the residual lace a tight sheet upon the glass. Oh my, is that alcohol I smell, sweet malt, caramel, over ripe pineapple, fresh, crisp, clean and a damn fine treat for my old schnozzle, start is all alcohol with a monsterous sweetness and a fair grain profile, the top is moderate to full in feel. Finish is submissive in its acidity with the hops burned out of existence by the 18.1 percent ABV and the specialty sugars leave a thick sweetness on the palate, big tummy warmer that is also quite dry, a monster of a beer, but one I do not think will appeal too many.

Small, yellow-tan, coarse, noisy head. Very clear, light garnet body with a few slow streams of bubbles. One or maybe two small spots of lacing Sweet, spicy nose: grapes and Belgian spice; peppery. All alcohol all the time. Overripe fruit in the sweet front; some butter and caramel in the middle, but alcohol takes over again for the finish. Reminiscences of alcohol swab. Some spice. Not very good.